The Rhetorical Artist in (Most of) Us

"Art is the only way to run away without leaving home." - Twyla Tharp

I've never thought of myself as being an architect of anything, mainly because I could never draw a straight line (even with the help of a ruler). Soon, I stopped chastising myself for this inability and instead I corraled it under the heading of "creativity." Creative people don't draw straight lines. That's the whole point. Creativity is not static; it is unpredictable, immodest, flowing, original.

Design to Thrive and the RIBS concept is upsetting my lack of interest in being deemed an architect by linking architecture with words like influence and experience -- all of which are creative terms. Through the RIBS concept, I am learning that I could and should be an architect of user experience, influence, belonging and significance.

Art is a word that aligns closely with the notion of creativity. The chapter on Influence was eye-opening as it provided the reader with tools for dissecting the mindset/personality/needs of the user and rhetorically designing an online community to meet various needs. It is "the art of designing influence." (81) If we view this entire RIBS concept in the lens of artistry, then we can manufacture powerful user experiences that include remuneration, influence, belonging and significance. In other words, the RIBS concept is empowering to the architect and the artist alike.

I am impressed by the depth of these concepts and its applicability outside of the realm of online communities. I am thinking about the RIBS concept in terms of my own classroom. I am a first-year teacher of English 103, and am keenly aware of rhetorically creating a classroom experience that encourages learning and trying. I use the word trying because more than 90 percent of my students do not have an affinity for English and my goal is for them to try to learn what they don't know, as opposed to completely tuning out based solely on the subject area. I'm reassessing my classroom and trying to determine who are my creators, who are my collectors; how can they feel a sense of remuneration in terms of the time spent in class; how do I help them feel a sense of belonging while avoiding the "pitfall of 'leveling rituals'" that could occur through the hierarchy of grading (which can be a classification system). I am applying these concepts outside of the setting of the online community (which makes me feel remunerated).